Why we need disease surveillance
Victorian Point of Consumption Tax Review
Disease surveillance is integral to reducing the risks associated with infectious disease outbreaks, including kennel cough and gastroenteritis. Understanding the rate of disease occurrence and how these outbreaks spread among the greyhound population is crucial to making sound evidence-based decisions with regards to disease management.
The Victorian Racing Industry (VRI), comprising Racing Victoria (RV), Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV) and Harness Racing Victoria (HRV), has welcomed the Victorian Government’s decision to increase the Point of Consumption Tax (POCT) pass-through to the VRI in connection with an impending increase to the POCT rate.
Surveillance can be described as a continuous and systematic process of data collection. This information gives us an idea of the disease status of the greyhound population. Available data is collated and analysed to guide decision making. Veterinary surveillance systems enable GRV and other regulators to identify appropriate actions that should be taken to protect both animal and human health, and lead to a better understanding of diseases that might impact the industry.
SUCCESSFUL CONTROL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE OUTBREAKS ENABLES US TO MINIMISE ANY HEALTH AND WELFARE IMPACTS FOR GREYHOUNDS AS WELL AS ANY EMOTIONAL AND FINANCIAL IMPACTS FOR PARTICIPANTS. There are two main types of disease surveillance: active and passive. Passive surveillance involves using information that has already been gathered e.g. participant reports of disease occurrence in their kennels. Active surveillance requires going out and seeking further information e.g. random testing of greyhounds. Other means of disease surveillance could include GRV investigating illness-related scratchings or fluctuations in nomination numbers, or using private veterinary reports following consultation and diagnostic laboratory testing. Diagnostic testing is a principle means of disease surveillance as it confirms exactly what infectious agent is responsible for causing or contributing to the observed clinical symptoms. Knowing the cause of disease gives us information about how likely it is to spread, how it can be treated and how it can best be managed. The most appropriate diagnostic test will depend on the disease. For example, testing for gastroenteritis will usually require a faecal sample while testing for kennel cough will usually require a nasal or throat swab. These tests should always be conducted by a veterinarian who will either analyse the sample in-house (generally limited tests) or submit it to the laboratory (generally more comprehensive tests). Sometimes blood samples can also be useful to help determine whether your greyhound has antibodies to certain infectious agents; this gives an indication of previous or current infection.
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Voluntary reporting is essential to an effective disease surveillance programme, thereby improving the health and welfare of greyhounds, and protecting the health and livelihoods of all the people in the industry. To contribute to passive surveillance, if you are concerned about any symptoms of infectious disease in your greyhounds, speak to your veterinarian and report the information to GRV Veterinary Services at vets@grv.org.au or on (03) 8329 1100.
The Victorian Government has today announced that following the passage of legislation, effective from 1 July 2021, the POCT on wagering by Victorian residents will increase from 8% to 10% of Net Wagering Revenue (NWR), bringing it into line with the POCT rate currently in place in New South Wales. The Government has also announced that the VRI’s gross share of POCT receipts from wagering will be increased from 1.5% to 3.5% of taxable NWR. However, on a net basis, after the deduction of the VRI’s ‘make-whole’ obligation under the remaining term of the current Victorian wagering and betting license, the VRI expects to retain at least 1.7% of taxable NWR under the new POCT arrangements. This is comparable with the NSW racing industry which receives the full 2% industry share of taxable NWR in addition to other favourable wagering taxation arrangements. Subject to the passage of legislation, the new POCT arrangements are expected to increase the VRI’s net receipts from the POCT by around $20 million per annum from 202122, as compared to the VRI’s expected net receipts under current POCT arrangements. When introducing the POCT, the Victorian Government committed to the three codes of the VRI that they would be no worse off both individually and collectively under the new tax regime. The Victorian Government has also committed to maintaining the national pre-eminence of the VRI and its competitiveness against interstate racing. The increase in the VRI’s share of POCT is an important step in closing the gap and addressing the relative Government funding differences between Victoria and New South Wales. Current favourable Government funding arrangements in New South Wales are enabling it to aggressively chase wagering market share and participation from Victoria, thus impacting industry funding, events and tourism. This increase in funding will assist the industry to fund its operations and support jobs across the state, and also to continue to maintain its investments in prizemoney, important animal and participant welfare initiatives, and the development and maintenance of world-class racing and training facilities and infrastructure. The VRI is one of Victoria’s most significant industries and makes a substantial contribution to jobs, communities and the state economy. It delivers $4.34 billion in economic value each year – around half of this in regional Victoria – and supports over 34,000 full-time equivalent jobs. GRV Chair Peita Duncan welcomed the planned changes to the POCT revenue sharing arrangements with the VRI.
